50 Mile Ultra and Marathon distance races through the quiet rural landscapes and ancient woodlands of Bucks, Beds and Northants along the Three Shires Way.

Race information

Whether you’re stepping up in distance or looking for a decent challenge through wonderful countryside, both races are suitable for beginners and seasoned runners alike.

Being a bridleway the routes are well way marked, so navigation is made fairly easy (and we’ll mark any sections where you may need some help!).

Both races are licensed by the TRA and will be held under UKA rules: TRA Race Licence

Minimum age for entry is 20 years old on race day for the 50 miler, and 18 years old on race day for the Marathon.

The race cut-off times are 14 hours for the 50 miler and 8 hours for the Marathon, and there will be progressive cut-off times in place at various checkpoints based on the race cut-off times. Details on the location of checkpoints and cut-off times can be viewed/downloaded here.

No pacers are permitted in either race.

Entries, and transfer of entries, will close 7-days before the event.

Start time/location

50 Mile Ultra

Race HQ and the Start is located at Hanslope Village Hall, Newport Road, Hanslope, Milton Keynes MK19 7NZ

Registration will be open from 07:00. The race will start at 08:00.

The finish is located within Marlow Park, Grafham Water, Grafham, Huntingdon PE28 0BH

Marathon

Race HQ and the Start is located at Yelden Village Hall, Spring Ln, Yelden MK44 1AT

Registration will be open from 09:30. The race will start at 10:45.

The finish is located within Marlow Park, Grafham Water, Grafham, Huntingdon PE28 0BH

Transport to the start

As both races are from point to point, we will be operating coaches from the Finish, at Marlow Park, Grafham Water, to the respective Start lines as follows:

50 Mile Ultra

Coach departs Marlow Park: 06:00

Coach arrives Hanslope VIllage Hall: 07:10

Marathon

Coach departs Marlow Park: 09:25

Coach arrives Yelden VIllage Hall: 10:00

You can book your place on the coaches, priced at £14, when making your entry. You can also add a place on the coach after you have made your entry by logging into your account (please note: an admin fee will apply if adding a coach place after you have made your entry).

Parking

Parking at the finish at Marlow Park, Grafham Water, Grafham, Huntingdon, PE28 0BH, will be available to runners at a reduced price of £5 for the day. Instructions on how to pay for parking will be made available in the race pack, which will be emailed out before race day.

Getting dropped off

If you plan to get dropped at the start of the race, the start locations are as follows:

50 Mile Ultra – Hanslope Village Hall, Newport Road, Hanslope, Milton Keynes. MK19 7NZ.

Marathon – Yelden Village Hall, Spring Ln, Yelden. MK44 1AT.

The routes

Linking with the Swan’s Way at the start, the 49 mile Three Shires Way takes in the county boundaries of Bucks, Beds and Northants at Threeshire Wood, with a 12.4 mile loop around Grafham Water to finish. We’ve added a section to the village hall at Hanslope to get to the magic 50, and created a marathon route that starts at Yelden.

You can download the GPX files for both routes below.

50 Mile Ultra: Download GPX (right click, save link as)

Marathon: Download GPX (right click, save link as)

Tracking & timing

Tracking and timing will be provided by Open Tracking. You will be given your tracker at registration. This will be taped to a strap on your hydration vest or bag for the Ultra, so please ensure you bring your hydration vest/bag to registration so that this can be undertaken. The marathon trackers are slightly smaller so these can be placed in a zipped pocket. The trackers are lightweight and are just a bit bigger than a matchbox.

The tracking link to share with your friends and family will be provided in the Race Pack and will also be shared on our Facebook page and website the week before the event.

Please ensure that when you finish your race, you return your tracker to a member of the Race Harborough Team before heading home.

On-course support

As with all Race Harborough events, there will be professional first aid on hand at the start and finish with the ability to access runners on the course. Race Harborough volunteers will also be on-course to provide hydration and nutrition at a number of checkpoints/aid stations on the routes.

Kit

Trail shoes are advisable as there will be a mix of terrain throughout. In terms of mandatory kit, the following must be carried:

Full charged mobile phone including the numbers of the Race Director and Race Medic

Water bottle/Bladder capable of carrying a minimum of 1 litre

Survival blanket

Waterproof jacket (suggested)

Whistle

Our races are cupless, so you will be required to bring your own cup

Long sleeved base layer or fleece top (50 miler only)

Reflective top/bands (50 miler only)

Prizes

There will be prizes for top 3 male and female finishers in both races, and all finishers will receive a specially commissioned event medal.

Free race photos!

As with all Race Harborough events – you don’t pay for your race pics! Free digital downloads of your race are available to download soon after the race finishes and we’ll announce their availability on our Facebook page.

Charity

For 2027, the main focus of our charity support will continue to be the Jubilee Foodbank, Market Harborough, and the Weston Favell Centre Foodbank, Northampton. Everyone who enters a Race Harborough event in 2027 will be given the opportunity to make a donation to support these good causes and, we hope, our event community will rise to the challenge and help make a difference to those that need it most.

Latest updates

For the latest updates about this and other Race Harborough events, please Like & Follow the Race Harborough Facebook page.

Course Records

Marathon - 4:03:59 Henry Church (2026) and Emily Gent 4:11:24 (2025)

50 Miles - 7:01:39 Charlie Cook (2025) and Claire Howard 8:28:03 (2026)

Description supplied by the event organiser.